Among the many more notable sea of characters that the WWE’s Attitude Era produced within the Nineteen Nineties was Val Venis. On the other hand, it is easy to face out when one has Venis’ persona, which was that of a former porn star turned wrestler who did strip teases, had notable relationships with Ryan Shamrock and Mrs. Yamaguchi-San, and almost got castrated by Mrs. Yamaguchi-San’s vengeful husband. And yet, despite all of the shenanigans that ensued around him, Venis also had loads of in-ring success, including winning the Intercontinental and European Championships, while showing off in-ring acumen he had first developed while working for CMLL in Mexico under the name Steele.
Like many elements of the 90s, nonetheless, Venis’ time eventually got here and went because the 2000s moved on. He would placed on a suit and tie as a member of the Right To Censor, began going by his real name, Sean Morley, when he got the role of Eric Bischoff’s Chief of Staff, tried to recapture his old Val Venis ways with limited success, and made the jump to TNA in 2010 that lasted only a couple of months. Ultimately, Venis’ profession became like quite a lot of other wrestlers; it never truly ended, with him working the occasional indie date here and there, but it surely might as well have long before Venis’ last recorded match in 2023. Unlike most wrestlers, while Venis disappeared from the ring, he never quite disappeared from the limelight, making it easy to elucidate just what the hell happened to the person formerly often known as “The Big Valbowski.”
Venis Began Working At A Marijuana Dispensary
For the primary half of Venis’ post-wrestling profession, it appeared that he was going to be best known for his love of marijuana. Originally anti-pot, Venis turned to marijuana in the course of the twilight of his WWE profession in 2008 after using various “pharmaceuticals,” as Venis described them, to treat ailments for years. Venis would later credit the failure of those drugs to assist him, and the death of former co-worker, Andrew “Test” Martin,” from an oxycodone overdose one 12 months later, for helping him keep on with pot for good. He would later credit his marijuana use for helping to avoid wasting his life.
Venis’ love of marijuana had led to it becoming his latest full time profession. For the reason that mid-2010s, Venis has reportedly been related to several marijuana dispensaries within the Phoenix, Arizona area, including opening his own medical marijuana businesses, equivalent to Purple Haze and Health 4 Life. During this time, Venis even undertook a brand new persona to sell cannabis, going by the name Kaptain Kanabis. His involvement in each cannabis and wrestling eventually led to questions on WWE’s Wellness Policy and its stance on marijuana, which Venis criticized for being too harsh.
Venis Has Drawn Controversy For Views On Trans-Rights
Unfortunately, in recent times, Venis has turn out to be less known for his cannabis use and WWE tenure, and as a substitute turn out to be controversial as a consequence of his views on conspiracy theories and, most notably, transgender wrestlers. This began in early 2020, when Venis was amongst probably the most vocal critics towards AEW crowning transgender Nyla Rose AEW Women’s World Championship. Though his rhetoric garnered loads of ridicule, including from Rose’s co-workers Cody and Dustin Rhodes, it didn’t dissuade Venis, who has only continued to up the ante on his viewpoints since.
Venis’ anti-trans views gained focus again in early 2024, when he took issue with WWE star Cody Rhodes posing with a fan holding up a transgender flag. In a post on X, Venis stated, amongst other things, that Rhodes was “affirming evil within the minds of the fans that pay to your paycheck.” Venis’ remarks received widespread condemnation, and likewise led to him earning the ire of wrestling podcaster Mat Koon. Only days later, Koon would by the domain valvenis.com, using it to forward people to the National Center of Transgender Equality website. This may result in a chronic forwards and backwards between Venis and Koon, with Venis warning Koon and other wrestling journalists months later to stop using the Val Venis name, with Venis claiming he owned the rights. To date, Venis’ threats haven’t worked, as the location still features information on the way to support the LGBTQ+ community and causes.
